Editor : Amethyst00



“Oh? It’s not that different from a regular city, huh?”

Aru exclaimed as she followed Leo into the night streets of Dragonia.

Just as she said, the nighttime streets weren’t much different from those of any other city.

Bustling crowds moved through the night as if a night market had opened, adding vibrancy to the city.

It was a completely ordinary and familiar scene.

“I thought Dragonia would be something amazing… This is kind of underwhelming.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I thought everything would be massive!”

“Oh, I was kind of expecting that too.”

Listening to Aru and Lunia’s conversation, Leo let out a short laugh.

‘What do they think dragons are, exactly?’

Even dragons don’t stay in their true forms all the time.

“But still, everyone here is a dragon, right? If you think of it that way, isn’t it amazing?”

Chelsea peeked out from behind Leo and spoke.

Even for hero candidates, hailed as the future of each race, it wasn’t easy to encounter multiple dragons in one’s lifetime.

Much less be allowed into Dragonia—which was only open to heroes who had accomplished truly great feats.

“If you think about it like that, we really are having an incredible experience.”

Lunia murmured in awe.

“Where’s Drianna?”

Leo suddenly realized Drianna wasn’t with them.

“Oh, over there.”

Aru pointed to a girl holding a basket, with Drianna talking to her on the street.

“You’re incredibly beautiful.”

“…?”

“I walk the path of art. I’d like to use you as a model.”

“…?”

“If possible, nude—”

Whack!

“What are you saying, you pervert?!”

Lunia drove her elbow into Drianna’s head.

But immediately after, she clutched her elbow and rolled on the ground in pain.

“Lunia, I’ve told you before—resorting to violence right away is a bad habit.”

“Y-you… made me resort to v-violence… Ngh! You rock-headed dwarf…!”

“Your violence can’t stop my artistic resolve. Strike me all you like!”

“Oh really? You sure?”

“Just kidding, please spare me.”

When Aru asked with a smile, Drianna surrendered instantly.

No matter how sturdy a dwarf was by birth, she couldn’t win in pure hand-to-hand combat against a beastkin like Aru.

“Are you okay? You must’ve been really startled. You wouldn’t believe it, but they’re actually harmless people.”

Chelsea tried to comfort the startled girl.

“What do you mean ‘actually harmless’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lunia muttered, rubbing her elbow, but didn’t argue further.

Asking a stranger to pose nude, then getting elbowed to the head—if anyone unfamiliar had seen that, it would’ve looked frightening.

But the girl still wore a confused expression.

As if she didn’t understand what they were saying at all.

Chelsea started to get flustered at that, but then Leo stepped forward and spoke.

An unfamiliar language flowed from Leo’s mouth.

But the girl seemed to understand—her eyes widened and she gave Leo a slight bow.

“What was that the black rabbit just said?”

“That’s Draconic. Lunia, you’ve studied Draconic, right?”

“I did, because of magic, but not enough to hold a full conversation like that.”

“Well, Draconic is a complicated language. Leo’s amazing as always. Is there anything he can’t do?”

“Ahem!”

“Why are you the one puffing your chest?”

Drianna looked at Chelsea with an incredulous expression.

After finishing her conversation with Leo, the dragon girl cautiously approached the four girls and lifted the cloth covering her basket.

Inside, it was filled with flowers.

One by one, she handed flowers to each of them. When it came to Lunia’s turn, she hesitated slightly, then gently tucked a white flower into Lunia’s hair.

Lunia’s eyes widened, and the dragon girl spoke.

Lunia glanced at Leo, and he translated.

“She said thank you for helping her out of a tough spot. She really loves Luna’s hero tale and wants to support you—someone who follows in the footsteps of the Star.”

Lunia’s eyes shimmered with emotion.

The dragon girl hesitated briefly, then gave a shy smile and held out her hand.

“She wants to shake hands.”

“Of course!”

Lunia grinned and shook her hand.

They waved goodbye soon after.

“By the way, that’s surprising. I thought all dragons could speak the continent’s common language.”

“Dragons are certainly the guides of heroes, but that doesn’t mean all dragons are guides.” Leo looked around at the dragons moving through the streets.

“So dragons have ordinary lives too? Makes sense.” Drianna nodded.

Leo silently watched the streets of Dragonia.

In some sense, this was the very vision of dragons that Lysinas had dreamed of.

‘Back in the age of gods, dragons were the chosen race.’

Every dragon of that era devoted themselves to guarding the surface world from their respective domains.

Lysinas said he too spent his youth being forced to live as a black dragon.

‘Choosing to save the world was entirely my decision. But that doesn’t mean all dragons are obligated to do the same.’

That’s why, after the Age of Calamity, Lysinas wanted many dragons to live ordinary, peaceful lives.

‘The culture of Godthrone definitely had a strong influence on the dragons.’

Dragons born in Godthrone interacted with many other races.

Even now, they continue to preserve their culture from the Age of Gods and remain the only race that doesn’t use the continent’s common tongue, instead speaking their own.

‘Still, this everyday scenery really resembles Godthrone.’

Leo smiled faintly.

‘Just like you wanted. Your race has laid down the burden it once bore.’

“Leo, how does it look?” Lunia asked, touching the flower in her hair.

“It suits you.” As Leo responded, Lunia gave a radiant smile.

“Black rabbit, be careful! She’s got a flower in her hair! Who knows when she’ll pounce!” Aru shouted while hiding behind Leo.

Lunia’s face turned blank, then she lunged at Aru, who bolted away.

Watching the scene unfold, Chelsea said, “If that dragon girl saw this, wouldn’t she regret giving her that flower?”

“She didn’t see it.”

At Leo’s reply, Chelsea nodded.

“Where’d those two idiots run off to now?”

Drianna sighed as she watched the pair vanish into the crowd.

“They’re not kids. They won’t get lost or anything.”

“Well, maybe.”

Leo agreed, and Drianna nodded.

“Anyway, Leo, didn’t you say you came out here because you had something to do? What was it?”

“There’s something I need to find.”

The contract they had written when they promised to rebuild Dragonia after defeating Erebos 5,000 years ago.

‘That day, Lysinas was left behind in Dragonia.’

The fragment of the egg that held Lysinas.

It was a key that could open the way into Lysinas’s world.

As long as the Hero Record existed, Leo could enter it at will.

But for others, it wasn’t so simple.

‘I won’t always be around.’

So it was best to find the key in advance.

“Let’s head to the entrance first.”

Following his memories, Leo made his way to Dragonia’s gates.

bl

“Where are we?”

“We got lost because of you.”

“Why me? You were the one who ran off.”

“Because you chased me like you were going to kill me!”

“Who told you to tease me? And who said I chased you like I’d kill you?”

“Then what were you trying to do?”

“Just make you want to die a little.”

“That’s worse!” Aru narrowed her eyes, but Lunia just snorted.

“Anyway, where are we?”

There wasn’t a soul in sight.

Even the interior of Dragonia was vast to the point of being overwhelming.

But not all of Dragonia was inhabited.

The outskirts were more like a restored archaeological zone—a re-creation of what Dragonia looked like in the age of gods.

The alleyways in these outer areas were like a literal labyrinth.

Not dangerous, but difficult to escape.

Lunia looked up.

“They said there’s a boundary magic barrier in the sky above Dragonia. If we fly up, dragons will come find us.”

She offered an easy way to get back, but Aru shook her head violently.

“No way.”

“Why not?”

“Then that pervert dwarf will find out we got lost!” Aru scowled.

“She’ll definitely look at us like we’re pathetic.”

“…That is annoying.” Lunia furrowed her brow.

Being treated like an idiot by Drianna was intolerable.

The three of them were the successors of Luna, Aaron, and Dweno—acknowledged by the Dragon Queen themselves.

‘Leo recognizes us as the successors of great heroes.’

Maybe not Aru or Drianna, but for Lunia—who knew Leo’s true identity—his acknowledgment carried special weight.

That equality allowed her to show her true self and helped them become close quickly.

‘We can be honest with each other—but that also means we can’t afford to lose to one another.’

“Then how do we find our way back? Got a plan?”

“Heh.” Aru brought her right hand, with thumb and forefinger outstretched, under her chin.

“Don’t pose. Just tell me the plan.”

“Who am I? The next student council president of Azonia! Aru Tune, that’s who!”

Aru thumped her chest and pointed to her nose.

“I’ll sniff our way back!”

Lunia let out an impressed sound.

“Wow, you really are like a dog.”

“I’m a cat!!”

Aru’s ears perked up in protest when suddenly, four figures appeared from the alley.

Lunia and Aru blinked at them.

“You two—Lunia El Lunda and Aru Tune, right?”

A boy in the lead asked. Lunia crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“Yeah. And you are?”

“Lunia, look. They’re wearing some kind of uniforms.”

Aru noticed their clothes.

Hearing that, the boy smiled.

“We’re apprentice Guide.”

“Guide?”

Lunia’s eyes widened.

Guide—dragons who lead heroes.

“I’ve heard of them. There’s a place in Dragonia where dragons with exceptional qualities study to become Guide.”

“Exactly. It’s like a hero officer academy for dragons. I’m Ryden. Nice to meet you.”

Ryden stepped forward and extended his hand.

But Lunia and Aru just stared at it.

“No handshake?”

Ryden looked puzzled.

“I’d like to, but…”

Lunia gave a soft smile.

“If you stare at us like you’re evaluating us, it kind of ruins the mood, don’t you think?”

Ryden scratched his cheek.

“Sorry if we offended you. As future Guide, we’re supposed to lead heroes. But it’s our first time meeting hero candidates, so we were kind of excited.” He smiled brightly.

“Your reputations are already well-known in Dragonia. Especially you, Lunia El Lunda—you’ve already become a hero, haven’t you?”

“So?”

“We wanted to see what you’re really like, so we came to test you.”

“Heh.” Lunia curled her lips into a smile.

Just then, Aru wagged her tail and said,

“There’s only one person who can judge my worth as a hero.”

“What? Who?”

Ryden looked confused.

Aru grinned. “Leo Plov.”